Depending on the cause, your options for taking care of your lousy breath may change. Bad breath can be embarrassing, especially when those around you notice it. What kind of odor you have depends on the cause of the problem. Often it is difficult to assess yourself, so it's best to ask a close friend or family member to smell your breath and let you know. While not as accurate, there are ways to self-check. One popular method is to cup your hands over your mouth and exhale into them. Another simple trick is to lick your wrist, leave it a few seconds to dry, and then smell it. If there's any lingering odor on your skin, then you likely have bad breath. If you suffer from frequent bad breath, known as halitosis, you're not alone. It's estimated that 60 million Americans suffer from lousy breath regularly. Stores, supermarkets, and pharmacies have no shortage of mints, gums, and other products designed to freshen up your breath. But all these products are temporary as they don't get to the root cause of halitosis. What Causes Bad Breath? Food While eating, food particles can often get stuck between and around your teeth, attracting oral bacteria. Bacteria buildup produces a foul odor that can stay on your breath until you wash it away with water or brush your teeth. However, notoriously stinky foods like garlic, onions, and spices can cause lousy breath even before plaque and bacteria have time to collect. When you eat them, their odors enter the bloodstream and travel to the lungs, where they are breathed out. Poor Dental Hygiene Keeping poor oral hygiene habits is one of the leading causes of chronic bad breath. Failing to brush twice and floss daily gives food particles, plaque, and bacteria time to build-up in your mouth. Plaque and bacteria on their own can leave a bad taste and odor in your mouth. However, the longer they're left unchecked, the longer they have to create severe problems for your smile's health. Some of these dental issues, primarily tooth decay, periodontal disease, and dental abscesses, are common sources of bad breath, too. Besides chronic terrible breath, warning signs of these dental health problems include: White and discolored enamel spots Physical pit in the tooth Red, swollen, tender, and bleeding gums Pain when biting down or chewing Persistent toothache Pimple on the gums Teeth shifting in place and bite changing Loose teeth

Tobacco and Alcohol Use Habitual smokers and tobacco users are well-known to have halitosis. Smoker's breath is caused by tar and other tobacco particles inhaled and absorbed by your porous teeth and soft tissues, leaving their odor in your mouth. This odor is unique, often smelling like cigarette smoke. The problem will only get worse the more often you use tobacco products. Dry Mouth While many may think it gross, saliva is the mouth's natural cleaner and protector against plaque, bacteria, tooth decay, and gingivitis. It helps wash away particles and bacteria that would otherwise cling to your teeth, gums, tongue, and other nooks and crannies where they can hide. However, those with a dry mouth don't produce enough saliva to prevent these odorous particles' buildup, leading to both bad breath and poor oral health. Dry mouth can occur when you don’t stay hydrated enough. It also often appears during sleep, leading to "morning breath." Both dry mouth and morning breath can worsen if you sleep with your mouth open. Other common causes of chronic dry mouth include diabetes, stroke, oral thrush, and Alzheimer’s disease. Other Causes If oral surgery wounds don't heal properly, they can develop a terrible-smelling oral infection. Sinus infections, certain cancers, acid reflux, and other health conditions may also lead to terrible breath. Additionally, some medications contain chemicals that carry themselves on your breath, while others are more indirect and contribute to dry mouth. Preventing and Treating Bad Breath In most cases, your bad breath cure isn’t as simple as popping in a breath mint. You will need to address your halitosis causes head-on. Still, once you know the problem’s source, getting rid of your bad breath problem is often easy enough to be done in the comfort of your home. Excellent Oral Hygiene Habits Picking up excellent and consistent dental hygiene habits is often key to getting rid of bad breath. Inconsistent brushing and flossing, dry mouth, and plaque bacteria buildup are the most common causes of halitosis, each directly affecting your smile's hygiene and health. By brushing your teeth twice a day and flossing once daily, you can prevent bacteria and plaque from accumulating on your teeth and under your gums. This helps prevent halitosis and stops your smile from developing severe dental problems like cavities and gum disease. Use fluoridated toothpaste if you can when brushing your teeth. Fluorideremineralizes teeth, strengthening them after plaque and bacteria have weakened and worn down the enamel. This can help prevent cavities from forming and reverse first-stage tooth decay at the white spot phase. Be sure not to rinse your mouth with water or eat anything afterward for at least 30 minutes to ensure your teeth absorb as much fluoride as they can. Frequent dental cleanings are also a crucial part of maintaining great dental hygiene. Brushing and flossing often aren’t enough to stop all plaque and bacteria from accumulating in your mouth. However, with routine checkups, a dental hygienist can quickly scrape away any stragglers trapped on your teeth and under your gums. Is it OK to go to the dentist once a year? No, you should have a dental cleaning done at least twice a year. Patients with frequent dental health problems may need to visit once every three or four months. Mouthwash Brushing and flossing can only reach about 25% of the mouth's surface, leaving most bacteria and food particles trapped and rotting in your mouth. An easy and popular way to reach those often-missed areas is by gargling with a mouthwash twice a day. There are two main types of mouthwash, both of which can clear up lousy breath: cosmetic and therapeutic rinses. Cosmetic mouthwashes only freshen your breath and offer no additional health benefits. However, therapeutic rinses often contain ingredients like fluoride, essential oils, chlorhexidine, and cetylpyridinium chloride. These elements work together to keep your breath minty fresh, kill oral bacteria, and prevent tooth decay and gingivitis. Like fluoride toothpaste, you shouldn't eat or drink anything, including water, for 30 minutes with these mouthwashes. If you're doubling up your fluoride intake with both toothpaste and rinses, keep this same waiting period before following up your brushing with the mouthwash.

Change Your Diet Keep track of the foods you eat and try to avoid known stinky foods. Instead, replace them with more fruits and vegetables. This last part can be helpful even if you don't have a habit of eating onion rings, garlic bread, spicy curries, and the like. Some people may also benefit from cutting some meat out of their diets. You should also try to drink more water. Staying hydrated is essential for fighting dry mouth and increasing your saliva production. It also can remove any food or drink residue sticking to your teeth and gums on its own. Other common ways to get your salivary glands working at max capacity are sucking on hard candies and chewing gum. Be sure to stick to sugar-free versions of these treats to keep your smile tooth decay and cavity-free. If You Need Professional Treatment Sometimes good dental hygiene and lifestyle habits aren’t enough. When your halitosis is just one of several symptoms of problems like advanced periodontal disease or a cavity, you will need to see your dentist for professional treatment. How is tooth decay treated? Typical cavity treatments include: Dental Filling Tooth Crown Root Canal With gingivitis, simple brushing, flossing, and mouthwash use can clear up the gum infection and plaque buildup in 10 to 14 days on average. However, once your gum disease turns into periodontitis, your dentist may recommend one or more of the following procedures: Deep cleaning Gum flap surgery Gum and bone grafting With quick and responsive treatment, you may be able to avoid a dental last resort option: tooth removal. How can I tell if I have a dental emergency? Please see one of our urgent care dentists immediately if you experience any of the following emergency symptoms: Terrible or persistent tooth pain Lasting toothache suddenly disappearing Pimple or dental abscess on the gums Excessive bleeding gums New spaces appearing between your teeth Change in the fit of your bite Tooth looseness Do you need to see a dentist about your chronic lousy breath? The Long Beach Family Dentist team is here for you! You can reach our office at (562) 999-3602 to schedule a consultation with us today.